Lawyer held up by Heathrow staff

A HUMAN rights lawyer and WikiLeaks advocate on her way to Australia to give a speech about ''lawyers on the front line'' says she was held up at Heathrow Airport in London after being told she was ''inhibited'' from flying.

Jennifer Robinson, an Australian citizen, said she was allowed on her flight only after airport staff called the Australian high commission to seek either approval or clarification.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Ms Robinson was on no Australian travel watch-list and the matter had nothing to do with the Australian government. A spokesman directed inquiries to Britain's border authorities and the airline.

Until late last year, Ms Robinson acted for the WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange, who faces sexual assault allegations in Sweden and an application for extradition from Britain. She is a well-known human rights advocate.

An official at the airport told her ''you must have done something controversial'' because the Australian embassy had to be phoned, she tweeted yesterday.

Ms Robinson is speaking about ''lawyers on the front line'' at a Sydney law conference today at which the Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, will also speak. The conference host, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, said the reports, if accurate, raised ''profound issues concerning the independence of lawyers and their clients''.

A spokeswoman for Britain's Border Agency said it was not a matter for it or for Britain's Department of Transport.

A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Canberra said there was no US travel list that used the phrase ''inhibited'' or similar. She declined to comment when asked if Ms Robinson was on a travel list or allowed to travel to the US, citing privacy.

Late last night Ms Robinson told the Herald during a stopover in Hong Kong she was bemused by the attention but unconcerned by the incident. ''I just want to know what happened and if my name is on a list.''